The Goldfinch: Questions we still have after watching the movie

The Goldfinch is now playing in theaters everywhere and, for the most part, disappointing audiences. After watching the movie, here are a few questions we still have.

John Crowley’s The Goldfinch was once one of the most anticipated movies of the second half of 2019. It packs a powerful cast that includes Nicole Kidman, Ansel Elgort, Jeffrey Wright, Sarah Paulson, and the always fun to see Finn Wolfhard. Unfortunately, the movie is bland, unnecessarily long, and, to put it simply, boring. What should have had a lot of life and room to stretch away from the books is rather lifeless.

Paulson and Wolfhard act their socks off and it shows. They’re fun to see and brighten up the movie when they are on-screen. But, regrettably, Paulson and Wolfhard’s characters are not the center focus, so enjoy them while you can because when they’re gone, so is the little life The Goldfinch has.

I personally believe Ansel Elgort is an underrated actor. He tackles any role flawlessly and can bring real emotion to the table. But the actor could only do so much in the role given to him here. Not to mention, his character shares screen time with Oakes Fegley, who portrays a young Theo. Finally, we have Nicole Kidman, who is always a powerhouse, except in this movie.

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Kidman herself appeared bored portraying Samantha Barbour, and feels very restricted as if she wanted to do more with her character, but couldn’t. The Goldfinch should have stepped away from the books and explored a more adventurous take, especially with Kidman on their team. Those who have not read the book will certainly have no interest in doing so now.

After watching nearly three hours of nothingness, we are left itching for more and even a few questions: Please note, spoiler alert for those who have yet to see the movie!

Did Theo get away with murder?

Is it that easy to get away with murder? Of course not. But Theo didn’t seem to have any problems. Sure, it was an act of self-defense, had Theo not pulled the trigger, the other man would have killed Theo. But it’s also not like Theo was an innocent bystander, he was doing an illegal act. Will his past come back to haunt him, again?

Do Theo and Kitsey go through with the wedding?

Knowing he can’t be with his true love due to the trauma that haunts them both, Theo settles for Kitsey because they are “a good match,” she says. Neither are in it for love. They care about each other and Kitsey’s mother simply adores Theo, but that’s pretty much it.

Why can’t the two just be friends? Your guess is as good as mine. Towards the final act, they seem to agree that they’ll get married and allow each other to have secrets. Theo leaves with Boris to steal back the painting, but in the end we see him with Samantha again…does that mean he did end up marrying Samantha’s daughter?

What happened with Boris?

So Boris not only survives getting shot, but also walks away a free man after all of this? Are he and Theo still good friends? This movie rushed its final scenes so much, it’s tough to walk out of there with something positive to say.

The Goldfinch is in theaters now.